Press On
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: When Sofia recovers from her fainting spell from the night before, Amber gives her some sisterly advice about overcoming disappointment. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)


Press On

Summary: When Sofia recovers from her fainting spell from the night before, Amber gives her some sisterly advice about overcoming disappointment. (Part of the Beyond Enchancia Series. Takes place over two years after the show's ending.)

Disclaimer: I don't own _Sofia the First_.

A/N: This story, I feel, is highly necessary. Don't get me wrong. Writing for the beautiful friendship of Cedric and Sofia is one of my favorite things to do, but her relationship with Amber is just as important to Sofia, and it should be revered. They have one of the strongest sisterly bonds I've ever seen, and I felt like honoring that with this story. It's not that long, but I hope I convey everything effectively and faithfully. 😊

*Twenty-Fifth Story/Episode 25*

Sofia awoke the next morning to a thunderstorm. If she had to guess, she would hypothesize that it was around 8:00 AM. She was still a bit groggy, but she felt somewhat better after having slept for at least a few hours. How long _had_ it been since she'd last slept? She couldn't honestly say…

The auburn-haired girl then realized that the surroundings weren't her own. This wasn't her room; it was… She blinked before looking to the other side of the bed, a gentle smile on her face as she noticed Amber stirring a bit, yawning and opening her eyes. "Amber?"

"Sofia!" The older girl beamed and sat up, throwing her arms around her sister. "Oh, I'm so glad you're okay! You had me worried after fainting on us last night."

"I fainted?" This was news to her… Then again, that's probably how she'd ended up in Amber's room. Wait. "Why _am_ I in your room exactly?"

"I told Mom and Dad that I would look out for you." She released the younger girl and folded her hands into her lap. "Call it my protective instincts or whatever, but I wanted to keep you as safe as possible, especially after all the things that happened last night."

Sofia nodded, sighing. Last night… "I know those two were villains, but I really hate what happened to them, Amber."

The blonde shook her head. "Sofia… Please don't try to blame yourself for what happened with those guys. Imaldrina or whatever her name was—that awful princess— _she_ was the one who killed Galiviano. And then she made a choice of her own. It had nothing to do with you."

"It had _everything_ to do with me." She frowned. "Imaldrina despised me for some reason. Something about her being resentful about my status or powers or…whatever. I don't know."

"That's not your fault." Amber reached out and took her sister's hands. "How were you supposed to know anything about that? And even if you had, there's nothing you can do when it comes to changing the darkness of someone's heart—especially if they don't want your help."

Sofia nodded solemnly. "I guess I'm just…" She sighed. "Disappointed? Every time there's another bad guy that I can't save, it just chips away a bit more at me. It's taking a little piece of who I am, as a Protector."

"Oh, Sofia, when are you going to stop taking the whole world on your shoulders?" She emphasized her point by placing her hands on the teen's shoulders. "Look, Cedric's told you this. Mom's told you this. I'm sure at least sixteen other people have told you this and you're likely tired of hearing it, but something has got to get through to your thick head. Repeat after me: I am not responsible for other peoples' actions."

The younger princess rolled her eyes but complied. "I am not responsible for other peoples' actions. …But what does that make me if I can't protect those who seem to need it the most?"

Amber smiled knowingly and shrugged a bit after lowering her hands. "Human?" She sighed once Sofia lowered her head. "Sofia, listen. Not everything or everyone in this world was made to be fixed, you know. People make poor choices that ultimately lead them down their own path, and we just have to accept that. Sometimes bad things happen; maybe they happen for a reason though. Who's to say that one particular bad event wouldn't ultimately lead to something good later on?"

"I mean, I guess… But I kind of feel like I haven't made much of a difference sometimes, Amber. Who have I _really_ helped?"

The blonde princess gave the other princess a deadpanned stare before counting off on her fingers: "Cedric, Greylock, Wormwood, Princess Ivy, Princess Elena, Miss Nettle, everyone in Enchancia, _me_ …" She smirked as Sofia laughed. "I used to be a little tyrant, remember? You made a difference in my life." Her smirk melted into a soft smile as she grasped her sister's hands. "A big difference."

Sofia returned the smile.

"But don't let this one disappointment of yours distract you from all the good you've done. When it comes right down to it, hanging onto the past isn't going to do anything but drag you right back down. You need to learn how to let go and press on." She gently squeezed Sofia's hands. "Because once you learn how to do that, you leave behind all that sadness, all that anger, all that 'disappointment,' and you learn how to be _Sofia_ again."

She grinned, feeling better. "Well, you've definitely got your motivational speaking skills down, Miss Future-Queen-of-Enchancia."

"Naturally. I'm always practicing in the mirror at night. They don't come as naturally to me as they do to you, though. But I'm glad you've noticed." She released her hands and flipped her hair dramatically, causing Sofia to laugh.

"Thanks, Amber. I really needed that. It meant a lot coming from Mom and Mr. Cedric, but it means just as much coming from you this time around…"

"Glad to help." Before Sofia could move, she pressed one finger against her sister's nose, causing her to blink. "No more sulking, okay?"

The younger girl smiled. "Okay." She then gasped. "Mom had the baby last night!"

"I'm glad to see that you remember the important things."

"Our family _is_ the most important thing," Sofia reasoned. "Everything I do as a Protector, I do to keep you guys as safe as I can. I want to do the same for Corban now…"

"You will," Amber assured her sister before she giggled and slid from her bed. "I'm going to get cleaned up, and I suggest you do the same. Then we can go see our new baby brother!" She squealed. "I _can't_ believe I can finally say that."

Sofia nodded. "Me neither. I'll meet you in Mom's and Dad's room." With that, she took off to get changed for the day.

Amber smiled softly to herself before heading into her closet to choose her daily clothing.

* * *

Several minutes later, the siblings all reunited in their parents' room, each one cooing excitedly over their new sleeping brother.

"He does look a lot like you guys," Sofia admitted with a smile.

"But he has your eyes, Sofia," Roland informed her, chuckling. "Just wait until he's awake again, and you'll see."

Miranda hummed softly as she tugged a soft white quilt over her son, cradling him gently.

"Where did you get that, Mom?" James asked curiously.

"Yeah," Amber added. "It's really pretty."

"Cedric's mother made it for me, actually." She looked up toward the teens. "Would anyone like to hold him?"

"Yeah…" Sofia glanced toward her siblings for approval, grinning as they nodded. She reached out and scooped the baby into her arms, doing as her mother indicated and supporting his head as she cradled him. "Hi, Corban." A fond smile crossed her lips as the baby finally opened his eyes, the same shade as hers, and stared curiously at her. "I'm your sister, Sofia." She giggled as he cooed softly at her. "Welcome to the world."

The end

(Next Story/Episode 26: You and Me Against the World)

* * *

Ending Note: I didn't say "To be continued" on this one, because the next story takes place a few months down the line. You'll see that a lot has changed at this point, and you'll also get to find out what sort of plans Cedric has that will tie into the next series. And my big surprise, as I've been teasing, will take place in "Beyond Expectations." And it's one of the things I've been building up to for a long time, and it will change a LOT of things, for the better (in my opinion). I hope you're ready. 😉

Also! Did anyone catch my call-back to Chapter 12 of Adventures in Magic? (Yes, I know it's been a while… :p) Cedric informed Sofia that his mother had been working on a _quilt_ , though no one was quite sure why… 😉 Turns out that quilt was for the baby. Apparently, she had a feeling someone would need it soon. So… It became a gift for Corban later on. 😊 Just thought I'd add in a little fun fact, since I never really found the time to actually write some sort of "baby shower" or whatever. Let's just say it happened while Cedric and Sofia were busy solving the whole mystery of Imaldrina and Galiviano. Lol! Look for the next story soon!


End file.
